Time division multiplexed (TDM ) data buses are desirable interconnects for many data processing systems because system components need not arbitrate for access to the data bus, which simplifies the system components and the overall interconnect. Each system component is allocated one or more "transmission opportunities" per "transmission cycle" wherein the transmission opportunities for a particular system component occur at the same position in each transmission cycle. For typical TDM buses, a transmission opportunity is defined as a "timeslot" wherein the duration of a timeslot is equal to one bus clock period.
For some prior data processing systems that use TDM buses, transmission opportunities are dynamically allocated in view of the configuration of the data processing system. For example, the data processing system and its system components may be scalable such that number of transmission opportunities required by a particular system component may change.
One disadvantage of such systems is that transmission opportunities are typically allocated to system components without regard to "placement" in the transmission cycle such that all of the transmission opportunities for a particular system component may be bunched together in one portion of the transmission cycle. The bunching of transmission opportunities increases the maximum time between transmission opportunities, which requires that the size of the output buffer memory of a system component be increased to ensure that data is not lost. The bunching of transmission opportunities also affects receiving components because a receiving component must be prepared to receive and store large amounts of data in a short period of time, which requires that the size of the input buffer memory of a system be increased to ensure that data is not lost.